The Queen and Her Hunter
by Kisuru-chan
Summary: While Hokuto and Kotori's brothers are off doing their own thing in other dimensions, they are left to themselves to worry about them. Hokuto is the vampire queen and Kotori is an esteemed hunter. The only problem in Kotori's way is, she must kill the vampire queen. Kotori/Hokuto.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : Written for sealandangel for the CLAMP Secret Santa 2017.

This fic is 10 chapters long. I'll try to post one every week until I'm finished updating them here.

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With shaking hands, Kotori dropped the thin, purple envelope in her lap. Her heartbeat accelerated, and she shifted nervously, jittery, in her wooden chair.

Today, she had received an classified letter. This letter would be the next step for her to conquer.

Slowly, Kotori sliced open the envelope with her fingernails, making wavy dents in the edges in her haste. She pinched the letter and pulled it out. Trying to savor the moment, she unfolded it and inched the pristine, beige paper from the envelope's depths. Her heart jammed in her throat when the curvy, golden postscript came into focus.

She had heard of jobs this upscale. But Kotori had never believed it would be her sent to accomplish it.

The words edges her resolve with certainty.

 _You have been hereby ordered to kill Queen Hokuto, the esteemed vampire ruler of the vampire nation of the neighboring vampire kingdom. Failure is not an option_ , the notice relayed. Instructions and details about the country were listed below the main lines, but Kotori's mind wandered away, contemplative.

This letter was her most important mission to date inside enemy territory. After all her hard effort to make a name for herself as a vampire hunter Kotori had finally reached one of the top hunter positions.

Sometimes she was hollow about that realization. She never would have gotten here if her brothers hadn't left her, or refused to come home regularly.

Still, her mastery over the Shinken had elevated her own sense of will. Her vampire kill count was quite high. It was hard to believe, but the fragile, gentle girl she had been had evolved into something so much more while retaining her grace. The royal red seal on the back of the envelope proved that—this was a high-class mission of the greatest station, not the garden variety. She had to be on her toes.

Her mind swam. She dropped the notice on the table. She was thrilled but awed. There were many other hunters out there, so… why her? Should he even question something so apparently well suited to her skills? The higher ups in the hunter association wouldn't pick her without the right credentials.

But to snuff out the queen's life in an assassination attempt… At a peaceful time like this, the higher-ups must believe the time was ripe. The association wanted to delve into their full objective when no one was the wiser to their moves; kill all vampires. The vampire queen herself was the first to mow down and the rest would tumble under that burden.

If she killed Queen Hokuto, every vampire would disappear and no more humans would suffer. Queen Hokuto was flamboyant, proud, and out-spoken. While she hadn't personally attacked humans as far as she knew, she was the reason so many vampires congregated together and felt they were superior.

A treaty between humans and vampires made it less painful as a whole. Still, hunters had to work undercover, and the death toll continued to rise daily in dark alleys, off-the-radar from prying eyes.

"Big brother," she wondered, "what would you do?"

Seishirou wouldn't fear anything, though. Neither would Fuuma after him. So she couldn't, either.

Killing the vampire queen was no laughing matter, however. There were precautions to take. Plans and routes to memorize and hurdles to jump through that ensured the hunter's safety. Any hunter worth their salt didn't jump into the fray without a backup plan.

It was funny. That wasn't who she used to be—someone on top of every action she took. She had not necessarily expected to get into this line of work, but Kotori was well-trained. In fact, her big brothers had praised her when they had heard about it.

It also wasn't fair vampires had taken her brothers from her. She dearly missed her them, but they were in other dimensions. They had been gone for a long time, now. The days blended together without them, and Kotori missed them. She wanted them to spoil her rotten like days that were beginning to fade into the past. To her knowledge, Seishirou was chasing vampire twins, and Fuuma was working for a dimensional witch called Yuuko. They hadn't shared all the details with her but she knew that much. Chasing vampires or working so far away for the rest of their lifespans wouldn't solve anything.

Kotori didn't have the luxury to bypass dimensions or go on a grand adventure. So, she had to make due. Fuuma or Seishirou weren't certified vampire hunters—neither was her family since they were raised religiously—but she had applied after her brothers had left to match them. Luckily, she had been told she had the aptitude and adaptability to handle rough patches in such a high stakes job.

It was one of the things that caught unsuspecting vampires off-guard. Vampires didn't think someone so sweet and innocent could be a balanced killer. She was sometimes called too nice, naïve even, too playful to stay alive. But she let her skills tell the naysayers that they were wrong on all counts

Neither was Kotori the strongest, nor the bravest. She didn't like hurting anyone. But she could do it while she remembered the people she saved and eventually seeing her brothers' smiling faces again. Maybe they would stop playing around in other dimensions if she changed things in this country! Hopefully, leave her more messages instead of sorely infrequent ones. She only had as many letters from each of them as the fingers on one hand.

In any case, she had to protect humanity.

Nodding to herself, she glanced at the Shinken in the corner, sheathed in its scabbard. The cold metal glinted back at in the firelight. Finally, it was time to leave home. But first she would go the Neutral Area and collect supplies. The Neutral Area between the human's domain and the vampire land would be the last stop before her mission. Then, she would have everything to make her journey a success.


	2. Chapter 2

Quietly, she shut her bedroom door. She took in the corridor's surroundings and check both ways for anyone. Deciding the coast was clear, she let her feet do the rest for her. The paintings on the walls and ornate decorations zoomed past her as she made her break for the closest escape route.

The greatest pain was that her living quarters were in smack-dab in the middle of the castle. She could easily stumble upon her servants. But Hokuto was well-aware of how to navigate the halls at this hour.

Hokuto panted. She leaned down on her knees once she reached a set of windows. Craning her neck, she peered outside at the courtyard below her.

The crisp, late afternoon sunlight poured in through the windows. Down on the courtyard, she saw a few of her guards making their motions, and she saw a group in frilly dresses and suits walking from one entranceway to the next. Dinner had just started for most of the castle—all except for Hokuto, of course, who had used the time to sneak out while no one was watching her, lost in the crowd like always.

Hokuto had ordered her meal early. It wasn't too unusual for her to do such a thing when she was extra busy, but she made it a point to remind her servants that she appreciated all they did for her because she wouldn't eat with the rest of the castle. They never needed another explanation. Right now, that meal sat in her room on an abandoned tray.

At least that was what they would believe until the morning and find out she wasn't there. The truth was, she wouldn't be back for a few days. She had other plans besides signing documents and sitting around.

But there wouldn't be a panic. She had left before and returned without a problem, and they trusted her to be careful. She was the queen and extraordinarily capable! But that didn't mean she could just tell anyone where she was headed. The guards would want to come, the handmaidens would fuss over her attire, and the news may get a whiff of it…

No, a publicity stunt wasn't the point of her sneaking out of vampire territory to the Neutral Area. She had to go there alone for this little personal venture.

With one last look-see to make sure the nobles had disappeared inside the castle, she bolted once again.

She raced through the remainder of the corridor, down the winding paths in the courtyard, and stumbled through the gates to the bridge that connected the vampire city to the nearby forest. Once she was there, she would be undercover. The guards at their posts wouldn't even bat an eyelash at her in her disguise, her hood over her head. The black cloak covering her frame would make them think she a visiting commoner. When she left this point, the cloak would be enough in the darkening landscape that nobody would notice her.

As she thought, the guards didn't look at her directly as she walked by with her head bowed. After all, they weren't looking for the queen to walk through without an entourage behind for protection.

The black cloak was a symbol of a commoner in the country. No one worth their position, especially a notorious queen such as herself, should lower themselves to a mere cloak. Hokuto had to admit that it was too drab and bland. She hated that it was custom that so many vampires still bothered to uphold for tradition, but this was the only feasible way for her to slip out from the palace's no-fun policies just so she could be on her own.

And then she was in the forest. Frowning, she paused against a wide, willowy tree after about an hour, placing a hand on it for leverage. She glanced up at the sky wistfully and remembered the moment that her brothers had left her. They had disappeared into a rainbow mist of dust and blinding light that day. No, she had never seen them since then and there was nothing she could do to get them back.

Kamui had insisted they leave because of something Subaru did to a hunter. She hadn't understood at the time, and she never got frequent updates on the matter. The only person that had spared her outrage and frustration had been a witch named Yuuko who sent word that they were fine but busy these days.

She had been so angry they hadn't kept her in the loop of whatever happened. But she forgave them.

Hokuto hadn't even known inter-dimensional travel had been possible in the first place. Either way, she wanted to throttle them both personally for leaving them behind the way they had—without letting her give them decent clothes, no less—before jetting out of the kingdom and not looking back. Being angry was easier for Kamui, but Subaru… she couldn't really be angry at him if he had been in danger. She wished she could have gone along with Subaru and Kamui on their misadventures. There hadn't been time. But she had her responsibilities, even if they were stuffy and restricted her sense of freedom.

Thus, the reason she left the kingdom to seek out answers. She had to understand where they were. Eventually, she had heard of a fabled dreamseer in the Neutral Area that lived there because he didn't want affiliations with anyone. After seeking the reclusive dreamseer out, Hokuto hadn't been impressed by what she he had told her, but she had a weight lifted off her shoulders nonetheless.

Subaru and Kamui were okay. That was good.

Once wasn't enough for Hokuto. She needed more.

She visited the dreamseer irregularly to talk to him about her brothers. Kakyou could see anything and everything from the other worlds. Well, his vision was had limited scope, but he was fairly powerful and shouldn't be underestimated for his weakly appearance and faint, offhandish smiles.

Her brothers were so helpless away from home. She had to baby them. How dependable had they gotten together? Were they eating enough? Were there enough E in the worlds they went to? Subaru would probably give it all to Kamui, and Kamui would give in to his worries, feeding off the blood so Subaru wouldn't get upset. Kamui would dive head-first into a battle and defend Subaru with his life and didn't ask questions until the blood had been spilt.

Her visits to Kakyou were so far in between that there were always updates like this. They might even be "they're fine" or "the hunter got close but they evaded him again" and she would have to breathe a sigh of relief and exaggeration at their behavior. She hadn't met the hunter after them, but she didn't like a hunter after them, even if they were capable of taking care of themselves in a fight.

Hokuto caught one of the falling leaves in her hand. She turned it over and stared at the veins running down its middle. The season was turning again, another season without them. But she couldn't do much about it these days .Was it the same for them? Did they see many seasons in other countries or did they only see similar landscapes? Either way, she loved getting an eyeful of the outside world when she could manage it. Times like this made her want to take in a deep breath and not think about all the responsibilities she would have to get back to when she returned. They would understand (or not) even if they weren't totally okay with her parading out.

Humming to herself, Hokuto skipped forward, wrapping her cloak around her tighter. At least she didn't have to worry about the sunlight until the morning rays. Some things had to be, but Kakyou would let her know if anyone was amiss. For that, she could rest easy until she reached the Neutral Area. It was a cozy place and there should be cute clothes to browse at the stores while she settled in.


	3. Chapter 3

Walking all the way to the city hadn't been too fun through the mountainside. Kotori was used to the wild few day trek, though. The mountains separated the humans for extra protection, and the forest usually closed off the vampires. The forest sunlight was for more intensive. That sunlight still didn't kill vampires, but it did give harsh burns if unattended. It was one of the things that bridged the gap between the species comfortably. Only the most dedicated or qualified got past the forest's humid terrain.

But Kotori had the muscle to power through the rocky areas. Now, she was here to prepare her mind and body before the storm. She patted the Shinken at her side absently, glancing around at the people wondering around the Neutral Area's streets. Most of the people were elderly but many younger people were looking at the wares in windows. This definitely was not a place where people came to live if they could help it. It was more like a tourist attraction.

She knew where she had to go. She had been there previously and was acquainted. There were plenty of humans that visited there frequently as well.

Finally after a while, she found the brown building at the side of the road. Relieved, she raced towards it.

Evidently, though, she crossed the street too quickly.

She bumped into something flimsy yet soft. She and whoever she had bumped into both fell to the ground, and many packages fell next to her feet as they both landed on the dirt road. Kotori's hand skimmed a sharp pebble and she gritted her teeth lightly.

"I'm sorry—" Kotori began.

"I'm sorry—" Hokuto said in unison.

Kotori noticed the girl had a black cloak and suddenly felt sheepish. She felt a bit overdressed in a long blue dress compared to the newcomer. She hoped she didn't seem rude talking to her.

As well as the black cloak being custom to the vampire country, it had spread a bit to the Neutral Area for another meaning. Showing off that you didn't have a status to identify was common.

On the other hand, Hokuto noticed that the girl in front of her had long, wispy brown hair. Hokuto almost wanted to run her hand through it and feel it. Actually, what kind of shampoo the girl use? She could smell a light spritz of something nice.

"Oh—I shouldn't have gotten so overexcited!" Hokuto chastised herself after realizing she was being rude. She tutted and shook her head. She was the one to stand up first. Before grabbing her bags, she reached for Kotori's hand. "I got so excited when I looked around the shops today that I couldn't stop myself from buying too much… Can't help it!"

Kotori didn't think much about how she had so much money and wasn't wearing more expensive clothes right at the moment. Those questions didn't get asked around here unless you enjoying getting stabbed or in a fight. The motto was "don't ask anyone, don't tell" for personal business because it was none of your business to know anything.

"No, it's okay," she assured and grabbed her hand. Hokuto's skin was cool to the touch. The weather was on the cooler side today anyway, and the air had a bite to it from the winds coming down from the mountains. But she felt warmer from the kind smile she gave her. "I wasn't paying attention. Here, I'll help you."

So, Kotori picked up a few bags, and she helped her pick up everything that she had dropped. The bags were fairly heavy and she was surprised someone of Hokuto's stature could lift so much at once, but she couldn't complain about that, either, since she didn't look like she could stab a vampire through the heart and have the stake come out next to the vertebrae.

"Where are you going?" Kotori asked.

"That inn," Hokuto said, pointing to the exact inn Kotori had had her sights on moments ago.

Well, that sheer luck worked out for Kotori.

Hokuto took half of the bags, and Kotori took the other half. They both walked into the inn and placed them down on a table. Panting, Hokuto stretched her arms out above her head. The inn was sparsely furnished, but there were many people here, and Hokuto felt right at home with that much.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Kotori asked. In the last few minutes, she had gotten, to her surprise, fond of the girl. She radiated a sort of energy that made Kotori tingly and happy.

"Just for a few nights," Hokuto told her. "Duty calls… I mean, going back home." Something flashed across her face but she shrugged. "I don't know how I'm going to carry this all with me, though!" Hokuto laughed like silver bells chiming. "Maybe I'll have to get a carriage and pay someone to take me…" She sounded thoughtful but not really sure at once.

It was pretty common to come and leave that way. Kotori assumed she was human, and most humans didn't like walking through steep mountainsides.

"Me, too. Not too many days," Kotori told her. She was a bit reluctant but she had to move on now. "It was since to meet you. I'll go get checked in and maybe see you later." She felt sad that she had to leave so soon, but she had things that she needed to accomplish and they couldn't wait for later.

Hokuto waved at her with a smile, seeming not to mind. Kotori walked up to the clerk at the desk.

"Okay, let's get you booked," the clerk said.

Indeed, coming back with all of these things would make it look like she had just left to be frivolous… which they totally wouldn't be wrong about in their own right. And Hokuto would have to pay someone double to go to the vampire castle, because not that many vampires stayed out here in the city, except the ones that mediated between vampires and humans. She couldn't control everything. She could carry them herself—she had the strength—but it would take longer for even Hokuto's to handle.

The clerk checked her computer and squinted at the glowing screen. "It's your lucky day," the clerk told Kotori. She pulled a card key and placed it on the counter for her. "We only have one last room."

Hearing this, Hokuto's sighed to herself dramatically. This was one of the problems with shopping. There was never a break for the one who carried it all!

Kotori glanced over at Hokuto. She looked like she needed a place to stay more than Kotori did. Hokuto would have a hard time if she wanted to lug all that stuff elsewhere, and Kotori didn't want her to do that.

Exchanging a glance with Hokuto, she bit her lip. She tasted her apple lip gloss and decided on it.

"I'll go somewhere else." Kotori guessed it wouldn't be that much trouble. She had seen another inn down the road. In fact, that inn had had a rather lovely garden out back. That would be nice to get her mind and body in the right place. Kotori was about to turn, swiveling her foot. Maybe this was also a chance for her to go grab something to eat from a stall she had seen on the way here.

Hokuto narrowed her eyes. She marched up to Kotori's side and put her hand on Kotori's shoulder to stop her, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Don't leave! You have to be more assertive about these kinds of things!" She didn't know how, but Hokuto worked herself out of a pinch. "It's fine! Great!" Hokuto put too much enthusiasm into it.

Suddenly, she hit the brick wall after that. She hadn't liked Kotori simply giving up after she had put her all into helping her, but there wasn't much they could do. She guessed she didn't mind leaving after all.

Kotori blinked. She didn't get it.

"But how am I supposed to do that? I thought it would be easier for you if—" Kotori said.

The lightbulb flickered to life above Hokuto's head.

"We can… share a room!" Hokuto hadn't thought about it before, but the idea hit her. She hadn't wanted to leave this girl after making a friend out of nowhere and the opportunity to spend more time would be wonderful. "Let's share a room. It's only a few nights, and we're both girls. It's perfect." She definitely didn't want to put Kotori out because she wanted to move in. That wouldn't be right of her.

Blankly, Kotori thought about it. "Eh?"

Kotori hadn't considered that. She hadn't thought about being near anyone else. On top of being kind of intrusive to other people, she had to prepare her weapons and look at the map of the castle again.

"The room only has one bed," the clerk said wearily, looking between them both. It looked like they weren't sure if two strangers would be fine with this arrangement and was trying to be cautious.

Kotori tried to open her mouth. It wasn't necessary, really. She could pay for any inn that she wanted to go to with her card, but Hokuto beat her to the punch again. She wouldn't have her denying this time.

"No problems! We can share a bed. We're both girls, after all! We can each pay half of the bill if you want to be equal. Besides, we're friends now. We have all kinds of things to talk about," Hokuto told him. She winked as if she had it all planned out. She grabbed onto Kotori's arm. Kotori felt a butterfly zoom in her stomach. "C'mon… oh, what's your name again?" It was Hokuto's turn to look and feel sheepish.

Not knowing a new friend's name. Kotori had never had anyone say that. She wasn't complaining.

Hesitantly, she told her, "Kotori."

Hokuto brightened. That smiled could melt the ice caps on top of the tallest mountains. "That's a pretty name. And my name is Hokuto, Kotori-chan."

Hokuto snatched the key card from the desk top. In the end, she didn't matter to her much what the arrangements were. At the least, she could ask this girl questions, and she wouldn't feel so… secluded out here alone. It wasn't for long but that didn't mean Hokuto didn't get lonely by herself. Kakyou was fun, of course, but he was busy with his own things. She couldn't always bother him with lively chatter.

Kotori let herself be swept along to the room on the second floor. This time, helping Hokuto out with her bags was a little price to pay for finding a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

The room wasn't especially extravert and neither of them had expected it to be. It was normal to human standards. There was a fluffy futon in the closet, a bathroom located on the left side, and appliances. There wasn't too much room to walk around for leisure. But the room would do its job.

"It's not too bad!" Hokuto said anyway to fill up the empty space. She didn't mind places like this. It felt… comfier and homier than her luxurious room at the castle. It had a charm that she didn't normally see. While she was all about dressing things up and making them beautiful and trendy, she didn't mind the simple things in life. In fact, she found the human lifestyle pretty charming. She dropped her stuffed bags on the floor and the skirts, hats, and blouses she bought half spilled out over onto the floor.

Kotori couldn't help but smile again. To her surprise, she really hadn't smiled all that much before coming here. Now, Hokuto was making her smile more than once in a matter of twenty minutes. It was odd.

But there was still that matter at hand.

"Well… I'll sleep on the floor," Kotori offered, rolling out the futon. She had been walking all day and needed to drift into dreamland sooner than later.

Hokuto laughed and put her hands on her hips in a no-nonsense type of way. "Are you still on about that? Practical, aren't you? I will not have that." Then she blushed a bit, and it was a contrast to her usual self. "But if you don't mind, we can sleep together. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."

Kotori did mind a little. She found it strange a perfect stranger liked her so much already. She had learned to curb on the edge of caution. But it wasn't even anything Hokuto was showing that made her want to take back the "no" that threatened to come out and ruin things. It was Hokuto's voice that alerted her to the fact that perhaps she should give in. So far, she trusted Hokuto. "I… as long as you're fine."

Hokuto's face lit up again and she hugged her. Kotori's head swam and she felt dizzy.

They unpacked their bags and set up for the night. Kotori had brought softer clothes to sleep in, while she noticed Hokuto was looking out the window and changing for the night. She was about to voice this thought, but Hokuto beat her to the conversation.

"I'm here to see someone," she told her. It wasn't much but it was more to go on than anyone would first think. "Need to ask some questions and then I'll be satisfied." Her tone wasn't outright nosy, yet Hokuto was hinting what Kotori was doing there.

"Oh, um." Kotori held a long pause. Kotori wished she could give away a little information, but she didn't have anything to give that wouldn't generate more questions. She couldn't exactly say she was a hunter. At these times she was glad the treaty in the Neutral Area made it easier not to speak up. "I'm… here on business," she added vaguely, hoping that sounded important enough not to question.

"On business, huh…" Hokuto repeated. Part of her looked a bit sad at the answer but she didn't make a comment about that. But her gaze grew distance.

Kotori wasn't sure if she liked that side of Hokuto or not. Perhaps she should give her a moment alone to herself and let the tension die down. Kotori didn't mean to be too standoffish. She went into the bathroom to lay out some items. Doing that was just another way to make the room a little more like herself and less plain. She always wanted to be reminded that, yes, she was here and she had control of her life when she looked in the mirror.

Hokuto slumped against the side of the bed. The day's events drained her, but she didn't mind. She had meant it. She liked Kotori a lot and it was much better to talk to someone else besides her assembly that was only aiming to get on her good side. She leaned against one of Kotori's bags and relaxed.

The bag tipped over and something poked her and burned her bare arm. She covered her mouth before she yelped at the stinging sensation, scrambling up.

The sharp edge of a metal stake leaned out of the bag. The bag was tall, so it had hidden it at first. There were slim books inside with symbols on them for the earth and a small bag of what must have been salt based on its chalky, strong odor. She also saw a box at the bottom with a cross on it. Her eyes watered from the strong scents inside. She covered her nose and held still for the feelings to pass.

Kotori walked out of the bathroom and noticed her hunched over. She frowned and couldn't tell if she was hurt or if something else was going on.

"What's wrong?" Kotori asked.

Hokuto sat up straighter. It had caught her off-guard. She discreetly covered her burn with her sleeve.

But in that case, that meant Kotori was a hunter. She had agreed to stay in the same room overnight with a hunter. The thought made the innermost vulnerable side of her go into alert mode. She had to remind herself where and who she was. Everything should be fine as long as she didn't let on.

"Nothing," Hokuto said, commanding a sliver of authority in her voice to reel herself back in. She was the esteemed _queen_ and she couldn't forget that. Besides, she had been alive longer enough not to show that she was frightened of anything. It might ring as suspicious if she made it less subtle anyway, but she squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath. "Nothing. Nothing… At all. I was just thinking about all the money that I spent today now that the fun is over! I'm probably broke… It was worth it!"

It was a good enough lie. But she knew something about it still didn't add up. She didn't have the heart to put much more into it. She sighed, pushing off her cloak. She crawled on the bed in her exhauation.

Kotori wasn't sure what happened. Like she had thought, she trusted her. She still wanted to ask, but she had said it was fine, so… she couldn't pry.

The tension in the room dropped about twenty degrees for Hokuto, at the very least. Her mindfulness would have to keep track of Kotori, but she wasn't worried. She had to pay attention. Like this, the human wouldn't know who she was.

Hokuto closed her eyes.

"Hey, I have a set of pajamas if you want to borrow them," Kotori told her after looking through her bags, thinking about a way to lift the mood. It was the least she could do. "I don't know if you brought anything, but I brought an extra pair in case I couldn't wash—"

But the soft breaths from Hokuto told Kotori that she was asleep already. She looked at her sleeping, peaceful face, and didn't know what she could do for her. Maybe some sleep would do the trick.

But contrary to what Hokuto wanted, she curled up away from the futon, sleeping on the hard floor. It was fine—she was used to sleeping on hard forest floors or inconvenient places to stakeout, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

_The crowd was cheering for her as she arrived back into the town. They were prepared for her, and they were thankful for what she had done. Kotori had done the deed; Kotori had killed the vampire queen! Everyone ran up to her and offered her presents. There would even be a festive, they exclaimed._

She was honored. Truly, she was. But something felt wrong in the atmosphere around her. Kotori couldn't get into the spirit. She had the post-sadness she always did when she killed a vampire, but she felt it was wrong. Had she killed Queen Hokuto? Why did she feel mixed on the topic but sincerely happy?

But the vision started to fade quickly afterwards and

 _the well wishes echoed into the black abyss.  
_  
Kotori still felt pretty warm despite the throbbing in her head when she woke. The side of her head hurt, and she rubbed her forehead, groaning. Wasn't she in a bed? That's right, she was on the tatami floor.

When her eyes cracked open, Kotori saw those expressive emerald eyes glaring at her. She thought she was in a nightmare, though, and turned over in her sleepy stumble to get away. Hokuto sighed.

"I told you it was okay to sleep in the bed!" Hokuto accused. She sounded more concerned than angry.

Where kotori was fully floated back to memory.

"I just…" Kotori sat up and yawned. "I was working on my things and I fell asleep without realizing it." The disorganized documents around her proved that. She had sharpening her weapons whilst Hokuto slept blissfully unaware, especially the Shinken. She needed to know what items she exactly needed to buy. She had found she needed more salt to throw around just in case there were too many vampires. Such could be expected around a queen's lair.

Hokuto's face softened, but that wasn't saying much. Then, she grinned. "I can't accept that explanation still. A girl has to be more careful… But! Your hair took the brunt of that decision. Well, I'll help you out!" She was worried that Kotori would walk out on her fairly quickly if she didn't have a plan in mind, and she kind of wanted to spend more time around her before she went out of her way to find Kakyou.

Kotori looked at her, confused, but Hokuto stomped over to her bags with a decisive huff. She rummaged through the bags until she a soft hair brush with a flower pattern on it. It looked like something expensive that would be bought at an antique store. Again, Kotori put her status into question.

"Here, let me comb your hair," Hokuto told her. Kotori blushed but didn't have any objections, so she allowed Hokuto to kneel behind her. "You have such nice hair, you know? It's a pretty light brown-golden color... I'm kind of jealous of how soft it is!"

Kotori shook her head. She was just trying to be nice, but the compliment made her weak in the knees for some reason. "You have a better sense of fashion than I do… I saw the things in your bags, so…"

Hokuto waved that off, dismissive, gently placing the brush in Kotori's hair. She stroked her hair out carefully. Hokuto's breath cascaded down the skin on the back of her neck. Kotori shivered from her warmth. The brush slowly, but surely, combed out each strand of hair and left it perfectly soft. Hokuto parted her hair, and Kotori blushed harder at the realization Hokuto was closer than she allowed anyone while seeing the nape of her neck.

"There," Hokuto said proudly, pushing her fingers through her scalp. Kotori jumped a bit; she hadn't expected her to be doen so soon. "Oh! I know what will look good. Hold on a second." Hokuto went back to her bags in a flash and brought back a set of pins. Kotori looked at herself in the mirror Hokuto brought to her face. The pin she put in her hair was that of two circles overlapped each other behind a metal blue dragon. She put it in the front of her hair.

The pin wasn't too flashy, not too cutesy.

"You can have it," Hokuto told her.

Kotori blinked. "Oh, no, this looks like it's—"

Hokuto put her finger to Kotir's lips and Kotori was instantly silenced. "Nonsense! It's all yours, because I like you. You're my new friend, aren't you?"

Kotori nodded dumbly. She didn't know what to say, because people usually weren't this kind to her. "Thank you… I don't really know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything."

While Kotori touched the pin, Hokuto stood to her feet and changed into another dress, this one white and pink lace. However, Hokuto wrapped herself in her black cloak again, smoothing down her hair.

"I'll be back later," she told Kotori. "I'll see you later!"

And before Kotori could say anything else, she was gone. Without her, there was an empty space in her space with her gone. She didn't know how to feel about that, but Kotori glanced at her own supplies. She guessed it was time to go to the nearest shops and pick up things for the bigger picture herself.

Yes, she would be at the castle soon enough. She didn't like the idea of leaving Hokuto so soon but moving on was a natural part of life for a hunter that moved from more countries than the human and vampire countries. Already, she had gotten attached to her friendship, and that wasn't a good sign. Hunters had to be solitary to be functional.


	6. Chapter 6

Unlike the last time Hokuto had visited Kakyou, there wasn't a big grey cloud above her head. Her limbs felt less heavy than they normally did.

Hokuto had needed that. She had needed to let off steam before she visited Kakyou, because she didn't want to be wound up before she went to see him. Kakyou was a pensive person, not always positive. She didn't want to approach him over worried about her brothers and whatever they were doing.

The first time she had gone to him, she had been upset, and he had been upset as well listening to her concerns one after another. She didn't like that. She liked him coming out of his shell and talking to her. That's why she went out of her way to shop and have fun before she came. She couldn't be all about doom and gloom all the time! Now, she trusted that her brothers were not in some horrible peril.

She entered the room to his practice. Similarly to most typical dreamseers' domains, the place was colored in purples and reds in each direction from the furniture, the walls, and the decorations.

The woman up front directed her to the back after waiting a while. She reminded her that she only had an hour at max before the next customer had to go in. When she entered the back room, Hokuto saw him sit at his table. Unlike other seers he didn't wear anything too showy or have a crystal ball sitting in front of him glowing in the darkness. However, he wore silk white robes that set the mood. He looked when she came in and motioned to the chair.

As a formality, she didn't blame him for having a time limit because he had many clients. It had taken her two hours to even get in today. But the first time they had talked, he had let her stay two hours without saying anything, just listening to her prattle on about her brothers and what she knew about them. Not only did it help him get a more accurate reading, but he seemed interested without prompting. Besides, she could tell that he was far more… genuine about the things he said than other people. He didn't hide behind a mask, he didn't come up with something that was made-up for the sake of it (he told her he didn't know certain answers). His business was small but it was important to her.

"I don't think much as happened lately," Kakyou said as soon as she walked in the room. He didn't look up; he stared at his hands. "I haven't seen anything that is upsetting… Your brothers had problems in a ruined city called Tokyo. But other than that, I…"

Kakyou's face scrunched up. He went silent to search for something else. Meanwhile, Hokuto pouted. Cloak flared out behind her, she stalked to the chair across from him. She put both hands on the checkered tablecloth between them.

"That's the first thing you tell me after I haven't seen you for five months?" she scoffed at him, wagging her finger. "I think you may be impossible."

It wasn't much. The twist of his lips was quite near imperceptible, but Kakyou smiled. "I just thought you would want to know immediately. Since last time you came in here yelling that you needed to know everything and you couldn't bear waiting."

Hokuto remembered that. It hadn't been terribly flattering, but the memory of it made her scratch her cheek. She had been so emotional. After all, he couldn't see how she would react each time.

She settled in and talked to him. As he had said, Subaru and Kamui had gotten into a few problems in a barren land named Tokyo—Subaru had even gotten _trapped_ under a reservoir!—but Kamui had never left his side and kept him protected. It sounded like everyone had a happy ending in that world, for the most part. It wasn't perfect but her brothers had gone on their journey again and now were in a world full of elf people that invited them to a special harvest ceremony. Hokuto unpacked about her own life. By the time they were done they were seventieth minutes over. Nobody had bothered them about other clients which Hokuto was thankful for.

Hokuto swept to feet.

"Thanks," Hokuto said sincerely. "I'm glad to hear they're safe even if Kamui is being troublesome. But it's good to know he hasn't lost his spirit. He's himself." She gave him a little bow, but he caught her right before she was about to exit the room.

"Even so…" Kakyou called after her. Something in his voice was a tad dark, alluring. It made her give pause. "You may want to be careful yourself.

Hokuto looked up at him, puzzled. What reason was there for her to be worried? She had already gotten here and planned on heading straight back home after all was said and done. She didn't have to worry about much else. She would visit again when she could get the time. Possibly in a few months.

"Why?" she asked, frowning. "I'm not going to get attacked on the way back home, am I?" It was good to be frank with someone who didn't personally care that she was the vampire queen. It was good to ask things in a way that were that straightforward.

The only smile he had shown her had been the halfhearted one from before the conversation. But now, his smiled widened in a demure way.

"I just have a feeling," Kakyou told her.

Hokuto shuffled her feet. Was he… being coy on purpose? Joking? Kakyou, joking on one of those rare occasions? She didn't get it. it. She couldn't help but still think it was something bad, but if he wasn't going to warn against doing something…

"Oh, honestly… You know something! I get a bad feeling when you smile," Hokuto told him, half-joking. She glared at him. I'll have to keep on guard!"

But something in the pit of her stomach lurched, and she couldn't help but think about Kotori's face. If it could be about her, then well, she wouldn't have any complaints to speak of. She hadn't gotten to know her very well but it saddened her that she probably never would if she was just going to leave. On top of that, hunters and vampires couldn't be real friends. Hokuto hated to remind herself of that reality. It would be better if Kotori didn't ever have the thought that Hokuto should die for being a vampire.

In a way, that reality was the same for Subaru and Kamui if they made friends on their journey. That thought didn't make her feel closer to them.

Either way, she squared her shoulders, and she walked out, hoping it would work out somehow.


	7. Chapter 7

Later that night, Hokuto could say that she was more self-aware. But she had looked around the town for another round and had drank E's blood from a vial she had brought along. Talking to Kakyou had erased some long pent-up things off her chest.

Being in the same room as Kotori made her feel even better despite the obstacles of it, and she sprawled out on the floor, exhausted.

"What did he say about your brothers?" Kotori asked her, genuinely curious. She had mentioned having problems with her brothers that made her want to throttle them in a I-hate-the-things-you-do but I-still-love-you-idiot way. Hokuto talked about them with a lot of affection. She… honestly, understood. She had two brothers of her own out there. It was funny, really, that the two of them had that in common.

Hokuto groaned and looked up, blurry eyed.

"They're fine," Hokuto huffed. "I don't get to talk them much… so I have to make sure of it. They're out there, somewhere, probably having fun without me!" She wondered if there was true or not. She had no idea. Because. Kamui usually set the grumpy mood wherever he went, and Subaru sweetly just went along with it. They were likely happy whenever they were together and that was the brunt of it.

Kotori wasn't sure how she should feel about that. Hokuto was trying to hide it, but… she heard the tone of sadness underneath those words. It was a bit of a mask, and she could easily tell because vampires tended to tell lies with that little waver under it. Perhaps she was overthinking it. Hokuto wasn't lying to her about that, and even if she was a vampire or lying to her, it wasn't her business. But now that she had gotten to know her a bit it would hurt knowing that her new friend had hurt her.

"Why don't they ever contact you?" Her brothers had to be more in touch with Hokuto than hers were. It was frustrating when she wanted more answers, but she guessed as long as she didn't hear anything from the Dimensional Witch, nothing was wrong.

And Hokuto's face crisscrossed with confusion for a second. She pursed her lips, frowned, seemed to be thinking of something that Kotori herself couldn't reach. It was a weird expression like she didn't want to reveal something but did at the same time.

Explaining the technicalities of that would be difficult. Kotori probably wouldn't believe her if she said that her brothers had gotten a mystical power from a Dimensional Witch that sent them to worlds beyond her imagination. Just the thought of it made her want to screech with laughter, because she wanted to see the cultures in those far-off places. There was so much she didn't know or hadn't ever seen.

"Where they are, it's difficult to send mail," she told Kotori. "They're in a far, far away place. And my brother—he's kind of fussy. He's the ultimate worrier, so he's hard to talk to sometimes. It's better if you don't bother him. He'll talk to you if he needs to."

Sounded like a certain couple of brothers Kotori knew. But she couldn't help thinking it was a slightly vague answer more so than Hokuto's usual honesty. But Hokuto rolled over on the futon and put her arms behind her head. Kotori knew she had to be patient.

"That's the same thing with me," Kotori admitted to her. "I mean, my brothers don't talk to me much… and I have to sit behind while they go travel and probably do all kinds of fun things."

"What a pain!" Hokuto growled and dug her fingers into the blanket. "You'd think they'd make more time to dote on their beautiful sisters when I put my all into worrying about their welfare. But all they care about is being chased!" It might be a selfish thing to say, but… she was lonely. Realizing that made them sound like criminals, she added, "Oh, and they didn't do anything wrong. It was a misunderstanding."

Kotori couldn't help but think that sounded familiar… She had to remind herself that she was being silly.

"That's nice… mine aren't together. They get along, but they don't travel. It's just as complicated." The Dimensional Witch made it clear that Fuuma usually went wherever she asked him to go, and Seishirou followed his nose after that "special" person he was after. While Fuuma looked up to Seishirou, they didn't always want to be around each other.

Hokuto pushed herself up to a sitting position and launched herself at Kotori. She enveloped her in a crushing hug. "I knew you would understand."

Kotori didn't try to push her away this time. Her cheeks warmed up again, and she didn't understand how Hokuto could make her turn to mush easily.

"Anyway, I'm beat," Hokuto told her. She flopped back down on the bed. "We should go to sleep."

"Y—Yeah," Kotori replied. She was about to lay back on the floor on reflex, but Hokuto grabbed her wrist.

"What did I tell you about that?" Hokuto scolded. She looked scary like her wrath wouldn't forgive it.

"Okay," Kotori laughed, awkward but amused.

She let Hokuto pull her to the futon and cover her with the blanket. With a final good night, she heard Hokuto drift off to sleep. She hadn't slept next to anyone for a long time, but it was a nice feeling, and she closed her eyes much more soundly without thinking it. It did make her sad deep down in her heart. There was no need to get used to kindness. This moment would be a memory after this.


	8. Chapter 8

Kotori woke up warm and fuzzy. It wasn't until she opened her eyes and shifted around a bit that she realized her arms were around a slightly cool body, and her skin was resting on Hokuto's stomach. Sleepily, she looked down and realized Hokuto was under her. When her brain finally pieced together this trivia, every alarm went off in her brain.

She pushed herself away, hiding her face.

She had to remain calm. Sure, they were supposed to sleep together, but she hadn't thought that—

Hokuto's hand latched onto her night shirt. She rubbed her eye and sat up. "Good morning."

One deep breath. Two. Three for good measure. "Morning…" Kotori let herself trail. She still couldn't show her face, because it was too embarrassing.

A curious expression came over Hokuto's face. She was silent for a moment, and then she got up and started to get ready for the day. Kotori missed her next to her side… but she shouldn't feel like that…

"You're leaving in two days, right?" Hokuto asked her. She backed up a bit and twiddled her fingers. "I'll leave around noon then myself. I have a ways to walk, so I'm going to need the extra daylight."

Kotori nodded. "Was going to do the same thing."

Hokuto whipped around and faced her. Inquisitiveness washed over her face. She had been awake long enough to feel Kotori not move from her side… and she couldn't help but believe she liked it more than she should be acceptiong. So it made her nervous—imagine her, Quuen Hokuto, such a scandalous thing!—to ask this of her when she was likely the only one who felt the way she did. Kotori probably wasn't thinking about this quiet like her. Hokuto was making too much of it. She hoped…

"Do you think…" she said, slowly, "maybe… did you want to keep talking? We can send letters, and—"

"Sure!" Kotori raced ahead to say before she realized her mouth had opened to speak. She shouldn't have, but she stop it. "I—I… sure. You might have to send it somewhere special,… I move around a lot so you won't reach me at one specific place for too long. I'll give you the place later."

Hokuto couldn't help but smile at that. She… had a friend. That's all it could be, for at least now, but it was a start. She had many friends around the castle, but none of them were truly a girlfriend type. They weren't the types that she could joke with late at night and be girly with. Kotori was a good match for her in that way because she could deal with her for being her and not to a long lineage of vampire.

Speaking of vampires…

"Kotori-chan…" Hokuto shifted and pinched at the hem of her dress. She didn't know how to say this without being truthful… she didn't know if this was a good idea. It wasn't. But she was desperate to try now that she knew that she really liked her. Kotori looked at her. Hokuto bailed at the last second after searching those sweet eyes, shrugging, turning around to finish dressing. "Nevermind. I'll tell you later my address, too. Let's just get ready for the day! I want you to help me with my outfit!"

Kotori thought that was odd, but she couldn't say that anything Hokuto did was worse than what she did as a hunter. At least she wouldn't have to be alone anymore if they kept up communication. And knowing Hokuto this far, she didn't think Hokuto was that kind of person. Kotori hoped she wasn't, either. Her name was the same as Queen Hokuto's but she was nothing like her from what Kotori imagined.


	9. Chapter 9

Parting was sweet sorrow, they said. It shouldn't have been if they planned on keeping in contact but it was the way of the world. Nothing could last forever. So, Hokuto and Kotori spent the time they had remaining close and had plenty of fun.

But the day came, and they couldn't put it off forever.

They didn't part completely sad, though. It was a simple affair with a hug and a wave goodbye. Hokuto didn't have her bags to slow her down or Kotori may have felt the urge to travel with her and help her out. Hokuto had said she would leave that up to a separate cart service that would bring them to her home. When Hokuto parted from her and pulled away from her, Kotori wished for something else. But that wish was distant as she walked away. All she could think about was her face and how she wanted to burn the memory of it into her brain. If their relationship would be long distance from now on, that would be the only reprieve she would have. But it had to be that way. That was the way the world worked no matter how unsatisfactory.

They had written down the addresses they would need mail to be sent to. Kotori's was the association in town for undercover vampire hunters. They had to be more low-key about it in this place because of the pressure not to be too hostile in this area.

Kotori glanced at the letter Hokuto had left her. It was a shabby, white envelope, but she had drawn a cute design on the back in the time she had to do so. So, she hoped this really wouldn't be the last time.

Hokuto had gone towards the south. That was the direction she was going, too, so she would wait for her to turn around the city in the winding streets and go towards the mountains before she continued on.

She sighed. She was going to look at it later, but the impish rush within her didn't want to wait that long. She wanted to know where she could start writing her next letter ahead of time so she could plan accordingly. She wasn't that excited, mind… but she was… and she shouldn't even say that she wasn't…

Kotori hung her head in defeat. Seriously! She supposed she didn't have the willpower to wait.

Nimbly, her fingers snuck under the envelope seal and pulled out the letter stored inside. Her heart beat faster and she didn't know why. She unfolded it, and with great anticipation looked at the words on the page. She felt like the bird that soared high in the clouds and practically lived next to the sun.

And then…

Her heart plummeted in her chest after reading the first lines. Her heart may as well have smashed on the dirt road and left her in shambles. Kotori couldn't breathe anymore. She should have known it was not a coincidence, but she had wanted so badly for it not have been… but life was cruel far more than kind.

 _Palace of the vampire country.  
Address to Queen Hokuto  
I'm sorry, Kotori-chan  
_  
Kotori was truly sorry, too.


	10. Chapter 10

Hokuto didn't know what to expect. Kotori was a hunter, but she didn't seem like the particularly vicious type. If meant anything, she was already far ahead of her and their paths wouldn't cross again. She had been there on "business" after all and they both knew what that meant. Hokuto would have to believe that Kotori would make the right decision for herself after she read her last message.

At least she hoped, but she had a gut feeling telling her otherwise. Kakyou's words and smiled floated back to memory and she still couldn't disciple that. And Hokuto had known long ago that her intuition was right in ways that she didn't appreciate.

The forest was wide and rich and friendly during the daytime. She had to be careful of the rays, but she stayed close to the shadowy areas. Sunlight didn't affect her as much as others. Her spirits rose looking around at the scenery, When she saw cute blue birds singing and flying above a nest, she pictured Kotori sitting on the branch. No… She shouldn't doubt her so easily just because she was a vampire. Kotori would definitely keep talking to her, right? There, in the city, it had been lively with Kotori.

Hokuto had her answer faster than she thought. She could run, but she had been milling about while she stewed in her thoughts. It was to be expected.

Her fingernails extended a bit. The sound of light footsteps followed her. Hokuto came to a slower pace. She prayed for her, and yet she didn't, but she didn't know who else it would be. It didn't sound like the gait of a vampire. In fact, she had gotten used to the way Kotori walked while they had shopped..

It was impressive that she could catch up.

Hokuto hurried again. Suddenly, she was featful to actually meet her. But wait… why would she give chase her? Didn't she already have a target to—

Hokuto's blood went cold. She almost tripped.

Even when she tried to sign agreements that benefited not just the vampire country, the humans took them in stride the wrong way. She had done so much recently during the current time of peace that she didn't know what had triggered their unsettled attitudes. Her council assured her that she was too lenient and her oversights might mean something drastic one day. Even though she tried so hard to make things equal, this was the thanks she had.

But…

She wasn't as upset as she would have been if it had been anyone besides Kotori chasing her.

Hokuto didn't like to hide like this. Kotori knew who she was now, and if was going to keep in contact with her, she had to know who she was. It wasn't good enough to rely on blind faith. She was following after her. And even if that meant Kotori wanted to kill her, so be it. She wanted to face Kotori properly.

So Hokuto slowed down. She stopped under a tall tree and watched the green and yellow leaves above her sway in time to the wind. It was a nice, clear day, and the clouds peeked out from the between the branches. Yes, this would be a good place…

It wasn't too long until the sound of footsteps grew breathtakingly close. The darkest part of Hokuto hated to be hunted. She itched to leave, but she stayed, and sure enough, she was knocked over to the ground. The sharp, cold edge of a sword was pointed above her head to keep her pinned there.

Hokuto didn't mention that something soft and moist dropped on her skin. She didn't have to ask.

Kotori's hands shook. Hokuto was under her, and every nerve in her body was frayed on end. Her hair was windswept from running. She didn't want to be after Hokuto, but here she was after chasing her, aiming to kill her. Hokuto peered at her, curious. Kotori wasn't sure if her blood should be boiling.

How long had she known that Kotori was a hunter? She must have been playing games with her. Better question, why hadn't she hurt her when she had the chance? Kotori had been defenseless and not in peak shape while they had shared the inn room. From her knowledge, it just wasn't like a vampire to do that, and she had expected a vampire ruler to be far more ruthless than she had shown to be. Hokuto wasn't exactly known to be fully down to earth.

She hated this more than absolutely anything.

Tears started to fall. The tears hit Hokuto's cheek.

Why was the sky falling apart for her? Why couldn't Hokuto have been a regular human like her? That would have made things so much easier and she wouldn't have to cry after killing her. She didn't want to kill her. Was that the plan, to make Kotori not want to kill her? No, there was no conceivable way for her to know what she was scheming. That didn't sound like Hokuto… she didn't want to believe…

Hokuto wasn't satisfied with that, though. The warm tears hit her the same way the sword would stab her if Kotori had swung it at her middle. If she was really going to try to kill her, she should try already. But Hokuto hadn't promised to die. She was sorry if she had to escape after this and it ended up in a deadlock. She would lose a dear friend, but…

"Aren't you going to kill me?" Hokuto asked. She found her voice. She was tired. "I want to make it clear I didn't know it would end this way. If you are, you shouldn't hesitate. It's your job, isn't it?"

Kotori flinched. She didn't know what to say, but she averted her gaze. The Shinken in her hand wavered. It was a sword that hated to be in the hands of someone who couldn't follow through on her oath to kill the weak. The Shinken hissed and vibrated.

"I know you were a hunter," Hokuto told her when she didn't respond. "I saw the stake in your bag when we got into the inn room. But I… really wanted to be your friend. So I didn't say anything back there. But I didn't know that you were after me, too."

Kotori grit her teeth. The more she talked, the harder this became for her. But there was one thing she could say with confidence. "I wish… it had happened this way…" That was said with the upmost truth.

Hokuto must have sensed that. "You aren't the first to target me, you know. What did I do, anyway? I wish they would tell me directly and not play these games!" Despite herself, Hokuto laughed. She didn't expect Kotori would know anything. Hunters weren't always told the nitty-gritty reasons about their job. The conclusion was obvious, as she had thought, but she wanted to hear it articulated into words.

That reaction caught Kotori off-guard. She wasn't expecting Kotori to brush off her problem like that.

"Well…" Now, Kotori didn't know why she was trying to kill her in the first place. There had been orders. There were reasonable examples of vampires being cruel to humans no matter what, but Hokuto wasn't like them. She wasn't like them at all in her fun, outgoing personality. Especially not with her smiles that could melt the heart of millions and she was charismatic to a fault; Kotori could see why she was a queen. "I'm supposed to kill you because it's going to make the lives of humans better—"

Hokuto threw her head back and groaned as if she couldn't stand to hear more. Kotori, quite frankly, was mystified by this. She couldn't understand why she was nonchalant when she technically was supposed to extremely close to death. If it was trying to lower her senses, Kotori wasn't buying it. But Hokuto didn't seem to be trying squirm away.

"I've tried to do the best thing for everyone… but it's hard," Hokuto said. She didn't know how to clarify it in words, but she hoped her tone of voice delivered it. "It's not easy. Talking to the humans isn't always easy when we have so many things to talk about, and the fact they want to see everything against me. Being in talks doesn't always do much because they can be rather stuffy and unpleasant. I know you don't see it that way, but I've seen my share."

Kotori wasn't willing to budge on that. She had been told the vampires were always the ones who built up controversy. But she didn't know how she could doubt Hokuto. She believed in her too much.

"No," Kotori whispered. "You're evil… so I have to…"

That stung badly. Hokuto couldn't blame her for thinking that way. But she recalled humans that had come up to her throne before. She had spoken to them. Those visits weren't all in good faith, but she saw the good in them. "It would be nice if humans didn't think that way. Not all are radical against us, and I wish you weren't. I have humans that visit me and I can't say I have the same stigma."

Whatever she was saying went in and out of her ears. She couldn't hear her very well over the sound of her own heartbeat. Her heartbeat was raging like it was in a cage trying to break free. Kotori hung her head. She hated herself for not going through with this faster and ignoring her worthless feeling. She had the Shinken, her prized sword. Salt, stakes, all the works. But nothing she actually wanted to use.

Hokuto sighed. Sometimes humans were too stuck on tradition and needing to do the right thing. While that was all noble, she didn't like that Kotori was so conflicted because of what shadowy faced people said who weren't even there to see her do this.

"If you don't want to, all you have to do is say so!" Some of Hokuto's flair from before bubbled to the surface into her voice. She couldn't help it. If Kotori had a real killing instinct she would have killed her, and Hokuto knew that from past experiences. She understood the girl who had wanted to leave her at the inn. That girl had wanted her to have room, and she wasn't going to let herself forget about that.

So, Hokuto decided to bridge the gap. Or… she would have. Because to her amazement Kotori leaned down and pressed her lips to hers before Hokuto could even register it coming. Hokuto could taste blueberry on her lips, and the sweet flavor tasted distinctly like her. Good choice. Her lips were soft and warm and something thoroughly shocking. It wasn't until she was this close that she realized Kotori was still wearing the star she had given her. If she hated her, she would have thrown it away.

But the kiss didn't last long. It was brief but meaningful, and Kotori pushed herself off of her. She huddled against herself and didn't look at her. The Shinken pulsed next to her, but she ignored it, cursing the world and everything around her.

Hokuto sat up. She rubbed the back of her neck where she realized a stone had dug into the back of her scalp. She looked at Kotori and shook her head. Hokuto was a master at reading the situation, and it would be better if she left her alone at this point.

Standing, Hokuto did so slowly to see her reaction. Kotori didn't stop her and she took heart from this. She turned around and headed for home again. She didn't like leaving her here after what had had just happened between them, but these things were better left to the mind rather than words. Her lips still tingled and Hokuto was mildly embarrassed, too.

She decided to leave off on a cheerful note.

"I'll see you, Kotori-chan! I love you~" Hokuto said, winking at her with purpose. She blew a kiss and ran off into the thick of the woods, leaving her behind. After all, she couldn't stand leaving the tension between them that dull and boring. So she had to be the happier person here and keep the energy flowing. "We have a lot to talk about when we get around it—and our brothers are the least of our problems. And like I said, you better keep in contact, or I'm going to be really, really angry at you!"

Kotori jolted, finally realizing that Hokuto was leaving her. But she silently agreed it was for the best. Kotori could imagine Hokuto being angry at her for not keeping in contact. The way Hokuto had looked at her before, that serious but needling way that told her that she cared. And that was the reason she simply couldn't kill her no matter her priorities. From meeting her, she knew that Hokuto was a good person and she wasn't lying. She could safely say that she wanted to make Hokuto as happy as she made her, even if it took distance and secrecy.

Honestly, she didn't know how things would turn out from here, or how she would convince her higher-ups that Queen Hokuto of the vampire land didn't need to be killed at every cost. This would affect her reputations and somebody else might be sent out in her stead. But she would do her best against it. She knew she would do it with all of her heart and being.

Despite herself, Kotori called back, "I will."


End file.
